East Jerusalem schools strike over Israeli curriculum enforcement and teacher permit bans

The academic year in occupied East Jerusalem began with an open-ended strike by teachers at private and Christian schools after Israeli authorities mandated the Israeli curriculum for all new first and seventh-grade classes in Palestinian-majority municipal schools. Entry permits for West Bank teachers to teach in East Jerusalem were also blocked, affecting over 70 teachers and employees. This has led to a staffing crisis, with one-in-three Palestinian students (more than 45,000) now enrolled in the Israeli educational programme, a nearly fourfold increase over six years. Israeli forces also seized educational compounds formerly operated by UNRWA in Shu'fat and Kafr Aqab. The General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions announced an indefinite strike, and officials described the measures as a cultural and educational crime.